"We actually welcome any Syrian strike against Isis," al-Maliki told the BBC. "But we didn't make any request to Syria. They carry out their strikes, and we carry out ours, and the final winners are our two countries."FULL POST

It was on its face disturbing, even shocking news - two military officials in charge of the nation's nuclear arsenal sacked within days of each other.

But Major General Michael Carey and Vice Admiral Tim Giardina (fired amidst rumors of misbehavior involving alcohol and gambling) are just the latest in a recent rash of firings in the military's top ranks.

The firings come as leadership in the military try to send a message of "zero tolerance" when it comes to bad behavior.

The military has been here before - last fall a string of incidents involving improper behavior among top brass resulted in then Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordering a review of ethics standards.

Officials tell CNN that in the case of the nuclear commander fired Friday that no sensitive nuclear weapons operations were impacted.

Bonded by battle, these four soldiers spend their morning pounding miles of the pavement together on their runs around the nation’s capital, but Thursday that routine took a dramatic turn.

“We heard a loud thud,” said 1st Lt. Quenten Vereen. “I immediately diverted my attention to the intersection and, as the bus actually went by, I seen an individual lying on the ground in the fetal position.”

A fellow jogger had been hit by a bus in an intersection and was bleeding heavily in the street.

“We all just went for a dead sprint toward the individual,” Vereen said.

The biggest rhetorical hurdle in passing an immigration reform bill is the lack of literal hurdles on the border – and the fear that people are flocking to cross the U.S. border with Mexico illegally because of the improved chance of becoming a legal resident.

And Border Patrol agents apparently have arrested some with that motivation

Asked at a Senate hearing on border security in April whether the number of attempted crossings into the U.S. had increased in the last three months, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher said the number had gone up.

"This particular year, yes, sir, we have seen an increase in attempted entries between the ports of entries. We're actually up in terms of apprehensions, about 13%. The reasons and modus behind that are varied, some of which is hearing sequestrations, some of which is hearing immigration reform, and some of it is hearing, you know, they just want to come and be joined with their families," said Fisher.FULL POST

However, the State Department says it still exists in what sometimes is called diplomatic slavery.

In 2009, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca was appointed by President Barack Obama to create solutions at the State Department for ending human trafficking and advocate for change.

A State Department report this week on human trafficking shows the problem getting worse overall in a number of countries, including Russia and China.

CdeBaca gave an exclusive interview to CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” to discuss the issue and touched on the issue of diplomatic slavery.

The State Department would not comment on the number of diplomatic trafficking cases, saying they are still under investigation.

But the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, looked into the issue in 2008.

It found more than 42 domestic workers alleging they were abused by their foreign diplomat employers since 2000.

The actual numbers of victims are likely higher, the GAO said.

And there are allegations it occurs in the nation’s capital as well.

"It happens just miles from the White House here in Washington D.C.," CdeBaca said.

“I think we like to think that slavery is what happens in the shadows. As a profession, we hear way too many stories around the world of diplomats who think that they have carte blanche to treat their servants badly,” said CdeBaca.

Rosemery Martell said she was a victim of diplomatic slavery.FULL POST

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The Lead with Jake Tapper draws not only on Tapper’s deep knowledge of politics and national issues, but also seeks to examine and advance stories across a wide range of topics that demonstrate his own curiosities and interests. Compelling headlines come from around the country and the globe, from politics to money, sports to popular culture, based on news drivers of the day.